CWA, which has about 20 staff, will keep its name and become part of Llamau.

CWA approached Llamau about a merger because it felt its infrastructure was insufficient and unlikely to grow in the current state of the economy.

Kim Griffiths, director of CWA, said that there was a close cultural fit with Llamau and the two charities would complement each other. The merger would also help CWA to reach women with a history of non-engagement, she added.

No jobs will be lost because of the merger, said Frances Beecher, chief executive of Llamau. All of CWA's four refuges will stay open and one will extend its opening hours to 24 hours a day.

"Llamau has only one goal and that is to protect and support vulnerable people," said Beecher. "The merger will allow us to continue to do that to the highest possible level.

"In the current economic situation, the third sector is facing a decrease in the volume of funding we normally receive, when at the same time the demand on our services is continuing to increase."

She added: "Achieving this goal will continue to become harder and harder. Working together makes it a little easier."